
       ͻ
            This file gives you some extra information about       
             the REBEL CENTURY program and also contains the       
            last minute changes not mentioned in the manual.       
       ͼ

        There has been made an important policy change concerning
        the size of the hash table in favor of first time users
        of REBEL.

        REBEL CENTURY will start with a default hash table size
        of 4 Mb to avoid any Windows swap behavior.

        If you want to play with a bigger hash table then launch
        the program via the provided shortcut in the Windows
        group "REBEL CENTURY". The shortcut is created during
        installation and is optimized for the best possible hash
        table size on your system.


        However if you want to be in control yourself then add
        the "W"parameter to the command line. Here is the list:

        REBEL CENTURY Hash table parameters
        ===================================
        - REBEL W1   512 Kb
        - REBEL W2     1 Mb
        - REBEL W3     2 Mb  best value for the use of a   4 Mb Pc
        - REBEL W4     4 Mb  best value for the use of a   8 Mb Pc
        - REBEL W5    13 Mb  best value for the use of a  32 Mb Pc
        - REBEL W6    28 Mb  best value for the use of a  48 Mb Pc
        - REBEL W7    40 Mb  best value for the use of a  64 Mb Pc
        - REBEL W8    60 Mb  best value for the use of a 128 Mb Pc
        - REBEL W9   100 Mb  best value for the use of a 128 Mb Pc or up

        Running Windows 95/98 you are strongly advised to use the
        installed shortcuts in the REBEL CENTURY group since they
        are optimized for the best hash table setting possible on
        your Pc.


        REBEL CENTURY and AUTO232
        =========================

        Rebel Century supports an external driver called AUTO232
        which allows you to play automatic games against other
        chess programs. For that you need 2 Pc's and the AUTO232
        software (about $75) which can be obtained from your chess
        dealer.

        Important to know:

        The REBEL CENTURY autoplayer (by default) will terminate
        games when the Rebel score is below -5.00 (Rebel lost)
        or is above +5.00 (Rebel wins) or in case the game is
        a clear draw. The game is saved in the database with the
        correct game score and a new game automatically is started.

        The REBEL CENTURY autoplayer (by default) has no learning
        enabled. The default setting is meant to play games which
        aren't infected by any learning from previous games.

        To activate Rebel Century's learning capacities 2
        options are available from the command line. These are:

     1) The "A" parameter. The "A" parameter will activate
        Rebel Century's "book-learner" and "position-learner"

     2) The "B" parameter The "B" parameter will make sure that
        Rebel's "book-learner" is even more aggressive.

        If you are a fan of playing AUTO232 matches for so called
        elo-rating purposes then use the "A" and "B" parameter by
        all means as Rebel Century will clearly perform better
        which is estimated at 50-100 elo points.

        EXAMPLE:  REBEL.EXE B A W8
                            | | |
                            | | |___ Rebel's hash table size is 60 Mb
                            | |_____ Enable book and position learning
                            |_______ Aggressive book-learning


        More about the "A" and "B" parameter
        ====================================

        The "A" parameter is meant to function under AUTO232 only.
        The "A" parameter will also not terminate games that are
        clearly won, lost or draw but will continue playing until
        the game is finished (mate etc.)

        You can use the "B" parameter (aggressive book-learning)
        also in your normal games. It will make Rebel Century even
        stronger as you can't catch Rebel for a second time so
        easily then. Also Rebel Century more then ever will try to
        repeat the games it has won against you.

        The negative side effect of the "B" option is that the Rebel
        book becomes narrower and narrower in respect to its random
        opening play which can make the program an annoying partner.

        In such cases it is advised to clear all learned data. This
        option is available from the menu BOOKS.

        REBEL CENTURY flexible engine concept (undocumented features)
        =============================================================

        REBEL CENTURY's new "flexible engine concept" allows easy and
        powerful tweaks (tuning) of the engine by the user and it is
        expected to get an elo improvement of 30-50 points by finding
        REBEL's ideal default settings.

        Besides all the possibilities given in "Define Personalities"
        (menu EXTRA) Rebel Century is equipped with a number of engine
        options which aren't available via the pull-down menu but can
        be activated in case you add them manually (via a normal text
        program such as NotePad) to the personality you have created.

        The below list gives a short description of their meaning.
        The extra engine options have the status UNDOCUMENTED FEATURES
        because: a) not to make things too complicated;
                 b) it is not so clear if these UNDOCUMENTED FEATURES
                    have the POTENTIAL to make Rebel stronger.


        List of UNDOCUMENTED FEATURES
        =============================

     [SEARCH TECHNIQUE = SAFE]               * will slow down the search
                                               with about 20% which
                                               sometimes gives a better
                                               result.

     [MORE SPEED = LOWER SELECTIVE SEARCH]   * specific pruning technique
                                               that has almost no effect
                                               in tactical positions but
                                               will speed-up the search
                                               in quiet positions
                                               tremendously.







     [MORE SPEED = PRUNE BAD MOVES_4]        * A new (not tested) prune
     [MORE SPEED = PRUNE BAD MOVES_3]          algorithm that will speed
     [MORE SPEED = PRUNE BAD MOVES_2]          up the search tremendously
     [MORE SPEED = PRUNE BAD MOVES_1]          4 options are available:
                                               1 (careful pruning) up to
                                               4 (risky pruning)

     [EXTENSIONS (REMAINING) = 100]          * scale the use of
                                               extensions in the range
                                               of 1-500 (default=100)


     You are free to use these UNDOCUMENTED FEATURES for the
     $2000 contest although it is our advice to focus on the
     available options given in "Define Personality" (menu EXTRA)






        The REBEL FAQ (frequently asked questions)
        ------------------------------------------

        The REBEL FAQ is maintained by Manfred Rosenboom and
        contains lots of valuable information and hints.
        You can find the REBEL frequently asked questions at:

        http://www.rebel.nl/faq.htm



        Below is a list of useful hints in case you experience
        a problem running REBEL CENTURY on your PC.








        Graphical problems (VESA)
        -------------------------

        Some (older) graphical adaptors are not fully VESA compatible.
        You can bypass REBEL's VESA mode by running REBEL with the "V"
        option. Example: REBEL.EXE V















        Graphical problems (Matrox and Cirrus)
        --------------------------------------------

        If you have an old version of the Matrox or Cirrus Logic
        graphical adaptor, the pull down menus in REBEL CENTURY may be
        unreadable. You can fix this in the following way:
        - Start REBEL CENTURY
        - Press "F6" (is CFG menu)
        - Press "UP ARROW" 6 times
        - Press ENTER

        Menu is now ok.

        Your Cirrus Logic or Matrox video card does not support a
        font of REBEL CENTURY. A bugfix for your Matrox card is on
        the Internet at: http://www.matrox.com/





        Mouse not working
        -----------------

        Be sure that MOUSE=ON in the CONFIG menu.

















        Windows 95/98 (F8 trick)
        ------------------------

        - Start / Restart your computer.
        - Press F8 as soon as "Starting Windows 95/98" appears.
        - Select MSDOS SAFE mode from the menu.
        - Load your mouse driver (MOUSE.COM, LH MOUSE etc.)
        - Start the program with REBEL.EXE from the CENTURY directory.
        - You have started REBEL with the strongest settings.


        We do not advice this trick since it is very user unfriendly.

        However REBEL CENTURY will run 5% faster because the lack of
        Windows. Moreover REBEL is able to use the full memory for
        its hash tables.





        Other platforms (Mac)
        ---------------------

        - We officially do not support the Macintosh.
        - REBEL CENTURY will not run on any Mac.
        - REBEL CENTURY will most probably run with a PC card.
        - REBEL CENTURY will run using Softwindows 4.0 or above.














        Other platforms (OS/2)
        ----------------------

        - We officially do not support OS/2.
        - REBEL CENTURY may or may not run on OS/2.
















        Other platforms (WIN NT)
        ------------------------

        - We officially do not support WIN NT.
        - REBEL CENTURY may or may not run on NT.
















        REBEL CENTURY ELO rating option
        ===============================

        At program start, REBEL CENTURY tries to calculate the playing
        strength on your specific PC. This is done by looking for
        the type of your processor (386, 486, Pentium etc.) and
        calculating the speed (MHz) of your PC. Combining this
        information will result in an estimated ELO rating for
        REBEL CENTURY on your PC as displayed in the pull down menu OPT.

        This estimated ELO rating value has to be considered in a
        range of -50 / +50 since it is impossible to calculate
        an exact ELO rating for every PC.








                Credits
                =======

          Chess program : Ed Schrder
        IO and graphics : Robert Kemper
        Database design : Ed Schrder
           Book opening : Jeroen Noomen
         Engine testers : Jeroen Noomen, Ed Schrder
                Manuals : Robert Kemper, Jeff LaHue, Manfred Rosenboom,
                          Franois Bertin, Ernst-Jan Walet.
          CD-ROM design : Douglas Design
           Beta testers : Enrique Irazoqui, Ernst-Jan Walet, Wybe Koopmans,
                          Jeff LaHue, Manfred Rosenboom, Peter Schreiner,
                          Jeroen Noomen, Jan Willem Schoonhoven,
                          Joe Petrolito, Franois Bertin, Claudio Bollini,
                          Roy Brunjes, Detlef Pordzik, Marcus Kstner.
  Personalities authors : Franois Bertin, Ernst-Jan Walet,
                          Roy Brunjes, Jan Willem Schoonhoven.
        Internet design : Jan Willem Schoonhoven, Manfred Rosenboom.


        You can contact us on the Internet on our home page at:

                    http://www.rebel.nl


End.














